Assistant on a Leash
by KiltLeKilt
Summary: AU Ryuko Matoi is just your average assistant to the heir of REVOCS Satsuki Kiryuin. While the two always snap at one other's throats, their worlds turn as they must make everyone, even Ragyo Kiryuin, believe they are together, for Satsuki's sake. What will ensue when their friends catch wind of their plan? Will they end up falling in love or question what is real and what is fake?
1. In Need of a Raise

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own Kill La Kill nor will I ever. The finale probably would've ended with the crew sporting Disco Ball's and Satan Spawn's heads on sticks as they gathered around Senketsu's campfire to sing some jolly good songs._

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><p>Ryuko Matoi was perhaps having the best sleep of her life since Thanksgiving Day nearly three weeks ago. That was a day she'd never forget. The turkey was cooked to perfection. The juices of said delicacy complimented its figure very well. Its crispy outer shell was just begging to be sunk into by her canines. But it was all too good to be true. Since it was near Christmas time, sales at REVOCS had sky-rocketed and had said employee working overtime just to help her overly grumpy boss meet the deadlines. All she remembers from that day was returning home to an always empty apartment in Honno City as she heated up her takeout from some restaurant she never bothered to learn the name of, regardless of the three year period she'd been living there.<p>

Just thinking of the turkey she watched being cooked on the Food Channel of her television caused a string of drool to leave her partly opened mouth, slight snores escaping every few breaths. All was blissful until her alarm clock began to ring in the ungodly hours of the day she was forced to work through. "Three more minutes, Dad.." she mumbled as her drowsy arm lazily slapped away at sections of her nightstand in futile attempts to find the noisy culprit. Sitting up with a groan, Ryuko wiped the trail of fluids dangling from her mouth as she yawned.

Getting up from her bed, almost like second nature, Ryuko walked over to her closet and removed her shirt to replace it with a white dress shirt. A yawn escaped her mouth as she pulled down her basketball shorts to replace it with a pair of black trousers. She looked around the closet's floor for her matching shoes and found them lying next to her blazer. A huff of relief coursed through her, removing all doubts that she'd lost it during her gaming escapades the night before. By the time she'd opened the fridge, Ryuko became fully awake and popped a bagel in her mouth as she adjusted the strap of her watch.

"I knew I shouldn't have bought this crap. I can never get it to turn on," Ryuko grumbled through idle bites on her bagel. A few painful minutes later and she'd managed to turn the blasted thing on. The time slowly began to appear on the miniature screen, and when it did, Ryuko nearly choked on her bagel.

"Shit! Kiryuin's gonna have my head if I'm late one more time!" Ryuko swallowed the remains of her bagel and darted out of her door. She ignored the rattling complaints from her neighbors as her feet pounded on the steps like a herd of fangirls pursuing some hot-shot celebrity.

It wouldn't have mattered if Ryuko had worn clean clothes or not, because in the amount of time it took her to run out of her apartment complex, sprint up the stairs alongside the blasted hill that led to REVOCS separate branch, and pass the three stations of metal detecters, the results of scent would've been the same. Ryuko bet she most likely smelled like a group of football players after practice, except all that foul smell was glued on one person. She was lucky, though. She had five minutes to spare which meant she could save her sorry ass if she was late by buying two pumpkin spiced coffees. Working three years at the branch gave Ryuko a lot of break in between errands so she'd made friends with the girl at the lobby who worked at the cash register to the Starbucks.

Almost on cue, the girl already set aside Ryuko's two coffees with a small perfume bottle in between the cups. Ryuko was so close to shouting a hallelujah but realized she had to get to her station before the Wicked Bitch of the West came for her shift. Muttering a quick thanks, Ryuko darted for the elevator and made it just in time to squeeze in the middle-front of the herd of suits. She loved elevator rides the most while working in REVOCS. Screwing with the workers so early in the morning brought a whole new light to her day that prepared her to deal with Satsuki's demands. Sometimes they were regular pranks, but other times, they were just downright "uncouth." At least that's how Satsuki always put it when Ryuko did something to embarrass her.

Ryuko began to whistle the first notes of "It's a Small World," which earned her a few glares from the people that worked a few floors above her. Suddenly, an idea popped in her head that brought a grin on her lips. Removing all traces of mischievousness from her face, she emitted a low groan as she clutched at her stomach. Some people next to her arched their brows in a sarcastic worry, wondering what next the prankster was scheming. Ryuko let out another groan that was louder than the one before. "Man... I knew I shouldn't have had pickles and ice cream for breakfast." She resisted the urge to laugh as she shuffled her feet with whatever space she had. "Well, as they say in Frozen, 'Let it go!'" Ryuko said as she let one rip loudly in her space at the front.

Ryuko replaced her frown with a smug grin as she sighed. "All better now!" she said happily as some people began coughing at the stench. It's not like she was lying or anything. She did have pickles and ice cream the night prior as she played her video games. There was no doubt that whatever sleep was left in the elevator drifted away as her inhuman like poisonous gas circled the box called an elevator. Ryuko could've sworn she'd heard a few sighs when her floor's number caused the elevator to come to a halt. Turning around, she waved at her 'friends' saying, "Try not to miss me too much, guys!" If you perked your ears closer, you would hear that one voice in the back speaking with hurry call out, "Push the button! Push the freaking button!"

She let out a chuckle as she held the two coffees in hand and took a sip from her coffee. The morning was going smoothly and nothing could go wrong. That is, until Mother Nature decided to take its toll on her. Ryuko was rounding the corner to enter Satsuki's office when a shoulder rammed itself through hers, sending a slight wave of pain through her. What happened next made her heart drop. The knock from an all-too-rushed co-worker sent Satsuki's coffee hurdling straight to the floor, its contents spilling all over the carpet. Ryuko groaned in frustration as she looked for the culprit but found said person gone. A frustrated sigh escaped her lips as she wiped the top of her coffee off, erasing all evidence and opened the door to the office. Looking around the room, she smiled as Satsuki was nowhere to be seen.

Her ears focused in on the familiar sound of heel clicks and quickly stepped behind the door to avoid spilling yet another coffee. She heard a disapproving grunt from Satsuki as she examined the empty room. Ryuko felt a wave of insults about to exit her boss's mouth at her "absence" when she closed the door stealthily and rushed to Satsuki's pacing form.

"Matoi, where were you?" Satsuki asked in annoyance as she began walking towards her desk.

"Behind the door, Eyebrows," Ryuko retorted with a snort as she handed Satsuki her coffee, to which she gladly took a sip from before setting it down at her coaster next to the computer.

"What are you, four? And where's your coffee?" Satsuki paid no attention to Ryuko as she sat behind her own desk located in Satsuki's office and logged in to the computer to begin her daily assignments.

"Add twenty more years to it and you've won," Ryuko mumbled slightly as she began to crack her knuckles, waiting for her screen to load. "Some moron knocked your cup out of my hands so you're drinking what _was_ my coffee.

Satsuki hummed in response as she took another sip. "So it's a lucky coincidence that you drink the same coffee I do?" Ryuko felt like shaving Satsuki's eyebrows from the smirk she was sporting on her face. True, Ryuko never really liked pumpkin spice coffee. She was always a french vanilla type of gal, but the thought struck her of never having a spare from all the accidents she'd heard of sprinting co-workers knocking perfectly good coffee to the carpet.

"What do you mean? I love pumpkin spice. It's like having Thanksgiving dessert in a cup." Ryuko tried to avoid any eye contact for she knew her eyes were always a dead giveaway about what she was thinking. "It's not like I drink the same coffee as you in case yours ever spills. I mean, that would be really pathetic."

"Very," Satsuki said as her frown crept its way back on her face upon reading the reports for the sales in Honno's branch.

Ryuko sighed as the next ten minutes of silent were spent listening to one another's fingers clashing with the keys of the computer. She sat back in her chair to stretch when the phone rang. Picking it up, she sighed and cleared her throat.

"Satsuki Kiryuin's Underpaid Servant, how can I be of service to you?" Ryuko resisted the urge to snort as she could feel Satsuki's death glare on her. She expected a comeback from the older woman but heard none to spare.

"Yes, would you be so kind as to put my daughter on the line?" A deep voice echoed from the receiver. It sounded like a woman, at least that's what she picked up. The woman's voice was deep and had a strange smoothness that gave you goosebumps, even through a telephone line.

Ryuko placed one hand over the bottom of the phone before looking in Satsuki's direction. "It's your mother?" Ryuko stated, more like asked, hoping she was right. She must have been because she watched as Satsuki's figure stiffen as a telephone rod with a nod and motioned for Ryuko to transfer the call to her line. "One minute," she mumbled quietly into the receiver before pressing the button and hanging up.

Ryuko watched Satsuki press the telephone hesitantly to her ear and felt a wave of awkwardness wash over her. Knowing Satsuki would at least want some sort of privacy, not that the stubborn woman ever asked for any, she pulled out her iPod and plugged her headsets in. Ryuko was mature, to say the least, but couldn't help but keep the volume low enough so that she could catch wind of some of the conversation.

"Mother," Satsuki said flatly as she stared at her screen, hoping it offered her a gateway far from her mother's grip.

"Satsuki, it's been a while since we've talked," Ragyo chuckled through the phone and from the sounds on the other side of the line, appeared to be pouring herself a nice glass of wine.

"Can you get down to the point, Mother?" Satsuki felt the conversation taking another path. Her mother rarely ever called. When she did, it was either to coax her into coming home and giving up the business she worked so hard to help build in Honnoji.

"Aren't you demanding?" Ragyo rhetorically asked before taking a sip from her glass. "I want you to come home, Satsuki. Nui is eager to take over your branch and seems fit to do so."

Satsuki tightly gripped at the telephone wire and bit down on her lower lip. It seems she'd have to crawl her way out of this one as she'd done many a time before hand. "Mother, while Nui is the Grand Couturier, I've put my blood and sweat into building up the REVOCS branch in Honno City. She only wants to take over this branch because I'm running it. I have no intentions on _ever_ leaving my post for some other branch in the other cities for reasons I do not want to get into."

"What might those reasons be, Satsuki, that you have to refuse to _me_, your mother? Surely you must have been prepared to explain yourself if you even bothered to bring the topic up in the first place."

Satsuki sighed as her mind raced. Luckily, she had prepared an excuse ahead of time. It was a rushed one, and she sure as hell knew she'd be taking a leap of faith by putting all her trust into one person, but it had to work. "I'm in a serious relationship and I plan on being the base of it. I don't want her to worry about income, not to mention we actually enjoy working together." Shit. She'd said too much. Perhaps it was the slight light at the end of the tunnel that meant her little white lie would prevent her from going back to that horrid mansion, but revealing two crucial details of information to perhaps the most wicked woman in the world was a huge mistake on her part.

"So you're in a relationship with a female subordinate at your branch I see?" Ragyo hummed delighted in thought as a cynical grin spread across her face. It was almost as if Satsuki could feel it through the line, sending shivers down her spine. "I always thought that was just a phase of yours in high school."

Satsuki desperately wanted to end the conversation and now. "Well, if that's all you needed–"

"Now, now, Satsuki. Why don't you bring this _lover_ of yours back home to meet the family? If you're so serious with this girl, surely I _have_ to meet her. It will be Christmas soon and it would just be marvelous for the holidays."

"Well, we wouldn't be staying at the mansion, Mother. We'd be staying at..." Satsuki paused as she tried to recall said person's vacation requests that were denied most of the time due to sales bumping up. "her father's house. It is his birthday around that time anyways."

"Very well, Satsuki. I can't wait to meet this girl," Ragyo said with yet another chuckle as she hung the phone up, letting the silence linger on Satsuki for a few minutes.

She couldn't have felt more relieved. It was yet another year she wouldn't have to stay in that retched mansion. She did, however, have to return to her hometown, and that made her frown return on her face. Satsuki stared at Ryuko who was now removing her own headsets and casting a glare at her.

"Sorry for being nosy but you're in a relationship, Eyebrows?" Ryuko asked shocked as she leaned in her desk, as if to pry more information from her.

"Apparently," Satsuki said under her breath. How could she be so foolish? Now she was going to drag an innocent person into her drama. All for what? So that she wouldn't have to tolerate what her mother did beneath those 'pure' walls of the Kiryuin Manor? "Say, Matoi," Satsuki said as she glanced at her assistant. "How would you like a raise plus vacation starting tomorrow and ending on the twenty-seventh?"

Ryuko's face lit up in surprise as she sat back in her chair. "Well I'll be damned, Kiryuin. Did the anit-Grinch bug bite you in the ass for this offer?" Ryuko paused as she shot a glare at Satsuki. "What's the catch? I know you don't just do this stuff off the bat, especially not in the three years I've worked under your enormous eyebrows."

Satsuki sighed as she stared straight at Ryuko, feeling the younger girl grow uncomfortable. "Be my girlfriend for the week and you get the raise plus leave time."

Satsuki didn't know what was more ridiculous, her request or the fact that Ryuko's face was red enough to match her highlighted bang she always claimed was natural. "W-What?! What kind of catch is that?! Hell no, Kiryuin!"

Ryuko watched as Satsuki stood up from behind her desk and began approaching her. Suddenly, she felt like one of those gazelles you watch on the Animal Channel about to get devoured by the cheetah stalking it a few feet back. At least the gazelle had a chance of escape. "Please, Matoi. I know this is an enormous favor to even ask of you, and I know I haven't been the easiest person to work under."

"You said it not me," Ryuko mumbled with a huff as she tried to avoid Satsuki's gaze.

"But I really need you to go along with it," Satsuki said in defeat as she stopped in front of Ryuko's desk with her head facing the ground. Ryuko took note of Satsuki's fists clenched tightly and the whitened knuckles that occupied them. Ryuko's features softened as she recalled the conversation she was totally not snooping in.

"Is this about your mom?"

"Sadly, it's always about her." Satsuki took a seat on the edge of Ryuko's desk and looked up at the ceiling. How she'd managed to become the heir of REVOCS _and_ have Ragyo as a mother was beyond her comprehension.

Ryuko groaned as she rubbed her face with her hands, trying to make sure what was happening was in fact _not _some nightmare after playing online for so long. Don't take it the wrong way. It's not like Ryuko didn't like the idea. Satsuki wasn't ugly or anything, that was way off the board. If she didn't frown so much like a stick was rammed up her ass 24/7 she'd sport the goddess appearance better than she already did. "One week?" Ryuko asked, face contorted as she squinted her eyes shut.

"One week," Satsuki parroted in response. "But we have to convince _everyone_ we know that it's real, including Mother. Too many people knowing could cause this to come crashing down."

Ryuko sighed as she stood up from her desk and offered Satsuki her hand to shake on it. "Deal."

Satsuki turned at the gesture and gave her assistant a once over before taking the hand. "Try not to mess it up too much, Matoi."

Ryuko scoffed lightly. "As if, Kiryuin! I ain't gonna lose to you in this match. Wait... Does that mean I have to stay at your house?" Ryuko asked with a grimace, almost as if the thought of the house were toxic. She was more or less correct.

"We'll be staying at your house," Satsuki said as she released her hand from Ryuko's grip and began walking out of her office with Ryuko in tow.

"What?! But it's my Dad's birthday that week– Oh you sneaky witch!" Ryuko followed Satsuki down the end of the hall and entered the elevator behind Satsuki. "Shit, shit, shit."

Satsuki crossed her arms over her chest and eyed the younger woman panicking next to her. "Matoi, would you please calm down. It's not that big a deal."

Ryuko turned to Satsuki with fists in her own hair, tugging at the pieces to confirm once more she wasn't dreaming. "I haven't visited my friend in almost three years, Eyebrows! Oh she's gonna be _so _pissed at me. Not to mention I have to congratulate her on going to med school and managing to date some rigged version of He-Man." Ryuko rested her back against the elevator. Ever since she started working at REVOCS, it's as if her life back home had vanished. Phone calls that were done every day soon faded to nothingness over the course of three years. A lot can change in three years.

Satsuki rested a finger against her chin in thought. "Come to think of it, I haven't visited my friends in that amount of time as well." Satsuki tried to ignore the 'are you fucking kidding me' look she was getting from Ryuko. "What?" she asked in defense.

"I didn't think you were the type to have friends, Kiryuin. No offense."

She let a sigh loose as the elevator stopped on the base floor. "None taken."

Ryuko followed Satsuki outside the REVOCS building and down the blasted hill Ryuko had run up earlier this morning.

"Where are we going, Kiryuin?" Ryuko asked as they seemed to be taking the route that was close to her apartment complex.

"Your place," Satsuki said flatly as they were in fact going to her apartment.

"The hell? Why?"

The pair took a right turned and began walking up the stairs to the averagely sized building. "Because we need to get you packed for the vacation, Matoi."

"I can choose my own clothes, I'll have you know!" Ryuko shot back as they were standing in front of her door, Satsuki gesturing for Ryuko to open it. With a sigh, Ryuko pulled her keys from her pocket and opened the door, waving a sarcastic hand in front of her to let Satsuki enter in first.

Satsuki looked around the apartment and examined it. Some empty cartons of ice cream and half-opened pizza boxes were resting next to empty liters of soda against the coffee table in from of the television. She expected to see more of a mess by clothes messily thrown around the room and hanging from the ceiling fan but found only the bed in shambles.

"If you're gonna make a comment, go on ahead. This is a no-judge zone," Ryuko said with a yawn as her warm homy environment reminded her of how tired she actually was.

"It's neater than I thought it would be." Satsuki took a seat on the edge of the bed and watched as Ryuko pulled out an empty gym bag from her closet. The younger woman stood in front of her closet for a few seconds as she examined her articles of clothing. She took a deep breath and enjoyed the smell of the room. It smelled of cinnamon, most likely the cause of the bottles of lotion resting against the nightstand.

Ryuko groaned as she arched her back, letting out a few cracks and pops with a sigh. "That hits the spot," she mumbled under her breath as she began pulling out dress shirts and trousers, folding them quickly as she tossed them in her spacious bag. After putting nearly half of the work clothes she owned, which were around four pairs, into the bag, she began digging around her drawers and began shoving in a series of shorts and t-shirts into the bag. "All finished." Satsuki watched as Ryuko zipped up the inflated bag with ease and made her way to the bed. She shifted slightly as Ryuko face-planted the mattress and let her legs hang over the edge, mumbling an, "I'm so tired," before Satsuki heard Ryuko's breaths deepen.

"Matoi?" Satsuki called out as she poked the younger woman lightly. To no avail of her actions, she sighed and looked around the room. She might as well rearrange their schedules to kill some time. Pulling out her phone, she looked down at her sleeping assistant and sighed. What had she gotten them into?

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><p><strong>AN: BOOM BAM. SO PROUD OF THIS CHAPTER FOR THIS NEW STORY OMAIGADDDDD. Dunno if any of you guys caught any references but this movie is slightly based off the movie The Proposal because why not? This idea came to me back in October and as I started coming up with more scenes and character backgrounds, it started eating away at me OxO It became all I could think about during class, sadly. So I decided to satisfy the fictional hunger by attempting to write this in hopes of getting some of my mojo back. There will be scenes in chapters that probably talk about craps or other bodily functions. There's no such thing as a TMI for me because I find all that shit hilarious, mostly anything with a pun or just gross makes me laugh. ANYWAYSSS. I really hope you guise liked this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Hue. Õ3Õ. I'll give myself a challenge and try to update around... let's say on Saturdays and Wednesdays just to feed this beast in my brain, and your fictional bellies! Alrighty guise. Buckle up cuz this is gonna be one hell of a ride.**


	2. Getting Our Groove On

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own Kill La Kill nor will I ever. _

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><p>After rearranging their schedules in her notes, Satsuki began making the painful calls of letting certain workers know of their shift changes. Now was not the time for vacation and if it weren't for Ragyo, Satsuki would've worked perfectly fine throughout the holidays. But she now had to leave the most crucial sales' time of the year to a bunch of novices from the marketing group. A groan escaped her lips at the thought of all the chaos they would cause the workers in other departments. She'd seen enough on her first day of training the group. Let's say, that would be an assignment the employee wouldn't want.<p>

Most of these kids were fresh off out the oven. They contained that spark in them that Satsuki valued, but their heads were too high in the clouds of future success to even notice the mistakes they were bound to make. She was glad she wasn't going to have to deal with them for one Christmas, but she had to assign someone else the task. After making several calls with no success, Satsuki was close to snapping. But she kept her cool. The last option she had was one she didn't want to take, mostly because the man was the second closest person in the branch that got under her skin. His cocky attitude made you want to just punch him in the face, not to mention the man was a complete pervert around the female workers in the branch. She'd been skeptical upon his first visit in seeking a job at her branch. They'd been rivals since as long as she could remember, but nothing tasted sweeter than having him as a subordinate. Regardless of his actions, he was still a good employee.

Pressing the call button, Satsuki listened to the receiver a few rounds before his groggy voice echoed through the phone.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, Ms. Satsuki?"

Satsuki bit down on her lip in annoyance. She was admitting defeat by asking him to do her the favor, but she had to do what needed be done. "I need you to shepherd the sheep this year, Takarada."

She heard his cackle louder than expected at her code name for the novices. "You _need_ me to, eh? Well, what's in it for me?"

"You get to keep your job and stay in one piece," Satsuki said with a grumble.

"Gee, when you make an offer, you sure reach in the high-ups!" Satsuki listened to the pause and a sigh escaped his mouth before replying. "Fine. Not like I have anything better to do on the holidays."

"Thank you." Were those words supposed to taste like vinegar in her mouth?

Hanging up, Satsuki looked around the dimly lit room. She expected Ryuko to be a noisy sleeper, but the younger woman was as silent as a dead person. She wasn't sure how, but some form or another, Ryuko had managed to curl up into a ball on the far corner of the bed. The silence was nice. It was rare to come by a peaceful moment with how busy life was most of the time. But Satsuki was truly bored. Was there nothing else to do other than sleep? Sleep was good, though. She couldn't remember the last time she'd gotten a decent night's rest. It's probably been years since she even had a full eight hours in her system. Work was the only thing that kept Satsuki occupied. Come to think of it, Satsuki never really had a calming point in her life.

Satsuki went to school and then went home. Once graduating high school, she went to college to prepare to take on the family business. Even then, she buried herself in academics, never taking leisure time. Work consumed her life. The cycle was to wake up, work, and go to sleep after work. She wondered what would happen this week. Just the thought scared her. Seven full days. She was struggling right now, and it was only noon. 'Calm down, Satsuki. Nothing will go wrong,' she reassured herself, rubbing her eyes as to coax herself to getting some sleep.

She looked over at Ryuko's sleeping form and shifted on the bed, moving the blanket over her body. She watched Ryuko curl closer into the mattress at the newfound warmth. 'When she's not spewing trash from her mouth all the time, she actually looks pretty cute.' Satsuki stared at the wall from the sudden thought. This was getting crazy. She needed sleep, Yes, it was the lack of sleep talking. She didn't feel anything for Ryuko, only the urge to choke the girl when she was late. Right. It was right to keep everything in check during this week. There would be no time for funny business. Satsuki moved on to the vacant side of the bed and rested her head against the mattress. It was more comfortable than expected because she felt her eyes flutter shut. She was allowed to let loose once in a while.

It was nearly five in the afternoon when Satsuki woke up to the feeling of something stirring against her. She slowly opened her eyes and allowed her eyes to adjust to the dim lights of the room. Looking down, she saw an arm lying across her neck and a leg draped over hers. A groan escaped her lips. So Ryuko was a mover, and a heavy one at that. Today was just dandy, wasn't it? She realized she still needed to pack if they were going to drive early tomorrow. Satsuki cast a glance at Ryuko's opened mouth as light snores slipped through every few breaths and began to shift slowly, being careful not to wake her.

Satsuki was lucky she got out when she did because shortly after escaping Ryuko's grip, the younger woman flopped on the now abandoned side of the bed. She straightened out her clothing and checked the condition of her hair before locking the door to Ryuko's apartment behind her. She could have easily called a cab to take her to her house near the REVOCS branch, but Satsuki felt the need for fresh air to clear her mind. Right in that moment, she longed for a steaming cup of Soroi's tea. It was always something she enjoyed having. Even though she made her own tea for these past years, it was nothing compared to Soroi's.

Upon arriving at her front door, Satsuki pulled out her keys and opened it, listening for sounds of movement in the house. Sure, no one was likely to break into the future CEO's house, but Satsuki took her precautions. Honnoji had become a well-established city over the years, but that didn't mean it was rid of crime. Strolling into the empty bedroom, Satsuki stepped inside her closet and frowned. Her wardrobe consisted of suits for work. She remembered discarding away some articles of clothing that once resided in her closet, but those were taken back to the mansion.

She shook her head. No way in hell was she going inside that mansion just for clothes on the 'vacation.' As she folded her suits carefully, setting them on the bed in organized piles, she debated on how many she should bring. It was only one week. But if she only wore clothes for work, would it show that it was all a sham? No, it couldn't. Everyone knew she was in fact a professional person. Then it hit her. She needed to play the part. It wouldn't be the first time she would put on a mask to make those around her believe in something until the time was due for the actions to come to a steady halt. Bringing clothing meant to be worn at work degraded the supposed feelings she had for her 'lover.' If she was going to play the part, she needed the right props.

"There has to be something casual in here," she mumbled quietly as she rummaged through the drawers inside the closet. Other than sleep wear, she wasn't sure there was anything left.

She'd been living in the house since high school. Surely there must have been something she could deem worthy of her search. In the corner of her eye, she spotted a medium-sized trash bag in the far corner of the closet. Arching her brow in interest, Satsuki dragged the bag out the closet and opened it up to check what was inside. The clothing was from her beginning college years. It all came back to her. Most of the clothing in the bag were gifts from Nonon. Satsuki smiled at the thought of her friend. Though that smile quickly disappeared and a frown made its way on her face. She'd lost contact with Nonon after college. They always talked about staying in touch, but Satsuki didn't know she'd let it get this far.

"This will have to do." Grabbing some blouses and skirts, Satsuki folded them and began looking around the room for her suitcase. She had different varieties of suitcases, but she chose her favorite, one that her father had given her before his accident. It was a simple brown vintage suitcase, but she kept it in good condition all these years. Within minutes, Satsuki had packed the clothes she'd chosen for her little vacation. A yawn escaped her lips as she sat down on her bed. She still felt exhausted. Her lack of sleep was catching up to her. Glancing at the clock on her nightstand, she shrugged and lied down. Another round of sleep wouldn't hurt anyone. Plus, they were leaving tomorrow. So, she could get all the sleep she wanted until then.

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><p>"Matoi, today please," Satsuki practically shouted as she knocked on the door for the tenth time with no answer. Could Ryuko still be asleep? She sighed in frustration as she checked her watch. It's not like they were in a hurry, she sure as hell wasn't in a rush to see her mother, but she wanted to get settled as soon as possible to put some form of ease into her being.<p>

The door swung open as Ryuko groaned, gym bag swung over her slumped shoulders. She was wearing a simple pair of blue jeans with a white t-shirt, the sleeve's of her black jacket tied to her waist. She didn't look all that happy from where Satsuki was standing. "Don't get your eyebrows in a twist, Kiryuin. I had to get the keys," Ryuko grumbled as she stuck a hand in her pocket and began walking ahead of Satsuki.

Following in tow, Satsuki watched as Ryuko led them outside the apartment and into the nearly vacant parking lot. She arched a brow at Ryuko as she pulled out her keys and began walking towards a motorcycle. Satsuki hated motorcycles. She hesitantly followed Ryuko and watched the girl strap her gym bag and soon Satsuki's suitcase to the back. "What is this thing," Satsuki mumbled as she stared at the size of said motorcycle. The fact that it was red didn't necessarily strike her has surprising, though.

"This _thing_ happens to be a Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Ultra Classic, for your information. I would like it if you didn't insult my baby by calling her a _thing_." Ryuko huffed as she sat down, adjusting her place on the seat and looking at Satsuki. "You getting on or what?"

"I don't like motorcycles. It's almost an hour drive to your house, Matoi," Satsuki said flatly as she crossed her arms over her chest to give herself the reassuring boost she needed.

"Hence the motorcycle." Ryuko waved an arm to showcase her prized beauty and brought the hand to rest on her own hip. "Look, Kiryuin. We did not wake up at the ass crack of dawn just for you to get cold feet and opt out of a motorcycle ride for this oh-so-wonderful week vacation. Stop being a baby and go back to the stubborn, annoying as can be eyebrow wielder you are."

Satsuki snorted lightly at Ryuko's comment and swallowed roughly. She had a point. But motorcycles brought back memories from long ago she'd wished to forget. Ever since it had happened, she'd never gotten back on a motorcycle. She had to suck it up. She wasn't weak. Then why was it so hard to get on it ?

"Satsuki," Ryuko said as she stared at the taller woman, taking Satsuki by surprise on how she said her first name. It was foreign coming from Ryuko's mouth as it was entering Satsuki's ears. "Do you trust me?"

She looked down at Ryuko and furrowed her eyebrows together, keeping her expression masked. "Yes."

"Then get on. Nothing bad's gonna happen while I'm driving."

"All right."

Ryuko moved up a bit to give Satsuki room to get on the seat behind hers. After a few minutes of shuffling around and making sure the bags were strapped tight, Ryuko cocked her head to the side, looking at Satsuki, receiving a nod of approval to start on their trip. The drive was quiet. One would expect the highway strip that connected Honnoji to Tokyo to be crowded, but it was empty. More people seemed to be entering Honnoji than leaving it. It wasn't surprising. Christmas was the one holiday that boosted up REVOCS's sales in large amounts. Summer was, of course, the second holiday that came into play.

Ryuko made sure to drive at a comfortable pace, not wanting to rush to where her weekend of hell back home would start. She loved her father. They just never got along. It was a display of cowardice at the thought of wanting to run away from the real problem at hand. She just wasn't ready to go back home yet. Ryuko left home for reasons she needed to forget, to move on from. Though leaving early never gave the wound time to heal properly. The old feelings were resurfacing and felt as fresh as the day it had happened. It made her frown at the thought that she was only going home to do Satsuki this favor. She should be going home to visit those dear to her because she _wanted_ do, not for some raise and short vacation.

"So..." Ryuko trailed off as they stopped at a red light, Ryuko setting her left foot on the ground as she stretched out her shoulders. "How exactly do we make everyone believe we're an item?"

Satsuki was a bit shocked. Sure, she'd planned on playing the part, but she'd forgotten the crucial detail of how exactly they would pull it off. No matter. She hummed in thought as she crossed her arms. "It's all about how we act around each other, Matoi."

"Not that I was being nosy during that conversation, but you said the relationship was serious. Guess you should stop calling me by my last name, _Satsuki_." Ryuko smirked as Satsuki began to frown at her. There were small occasions in their conversations in which Ryuko would get the slight upper-hand, so she savored them as much as she could.

"Fair enough," Satsuki replied as she focused her attention on the green light before them. "Green."

"Right," Ryuko muttered as she resumed their course. She was going faster than her usual pace and regretted it once they hit the nearby speed bump. A wave of shock ran through her as she felt a pair of hands gripping tightly around her waist. "Mind.. letting... go now?" Ryuko spoke in between breaths as the grip only tightened. "Satsuki?"

Clearing her throat, Satsuki sat up in her earlier position and held on her seat before the speed bump incident. "Sorry about that."

"You really don't like motorcycles, huh?"

"I hate them with a passion," Satsuki said flatly as they began driving by a series of building complexes.

"Mind sharing with me? I mean, if you want to. I practically know you like the back of my hand."

Satsuki arched a brow with a light scoff of false surprise. "You know me like the back of your hand?"

"Just try me, Satsuki. There probably isn't a single thing about you that I don't already know."

Satsuki resisted the urge to slap Ryuko. She was wrong, very wrong. There were simply some things about herself that Ryuko was too naïve to even think possible. This wasn't the time to sulk in self-pity. Playing this little game might be fun when she realized she actually knew nothing about her assistant. The thought alone was enough to increase her frown. "What do I like to drink? And coffee is not under the option list. Nothing about what we enjoy at work."

"Fine by me," Ryuko said as she slowed their pace down, popping a few bones in her arms. "You like drinking tea. Heck, I even remember the day you were sick and still came to work. I had to drag my ass in the rain and run two blocks to buy your damn tea that you couldn't live without."

"All right. You get a point there."

"'Course I do. Hit me with your best shot."

"What is my favorite fast food?"

"You chow down on mystery croquettes like a child eating Halloween candy." Ryuko began to chuckle slightly as a memory came to mind about said mystery croquettes.

"What is so funny?"

Ryuko snorted before replying. "Just remembering the time you decided to take the rest of my croquettes and ended up in the bathroom puking your insides out for the holiest hour that day. I told you not to touch them in the first place."

"While it may have been comical to you, I was in a great deal of pain. The stench in the bathroom was not helping me either." Satsuki shivered at the thought of how long she had spent hunched over the toilet in the main lobby for that godforsaken hour. Never again was she going to consume mystery croquettes in excess.

"I also know that your favorite color happens to be white. You can't sleep without having a set of cool blankets nearby because it gets too hot at night. I still remember being woken up right after falling asleep at three in the morning because you were apparently sweating buckets. Now, if you'd tie the jungle that is your hair up at night you wouldn't feel hot as quickly as you do. You're allergic to anything with almonds in it. Your face gets as puffed up as your eyebrows are when you take even a nibble of the freaking nut."

Satsuki's features softened as she listened to Ryuko go on with the details she knew of her. It was touching that she actually paid attention. Though she recalled at times there wasn't really a choice at forgetting the crucial details since they happened often. "Okay, okay. You win this one. How is it that I know little to nothing about you?"

Ryuko shrugged her shoulders as they took a right turn and began heading into a more country-sided area. "I guess the spotlight was always on you these past three years. Never really figured you'd be interested in details about me."

"I apologize for that. As you know, I'm serious when it comes to being at work. Since we've got quite a ways until we get there, tell me about yourself."

A light shade of pink turned on her cheeks. Talk about herself? She was good on talking about the details she knew about other people, but no one ever really asked for her to tell them about herself. "O-Okay," she stuttered out in an attempt to regain her composure. "I like lemonade. It's my favorite type of drink. I also like eating lemons. Most people give me stares since I eat it like it were an apple or something, but I have a thing for sour stuff. Other than lemonade, I like anything thats salty and crunchy. Meat is also good, really good, actually. Hostess products are like the cherry on top to the foods I like, though."

"Even Twinkies?" Satsuki asked with a cringe in her voice. She didn't know why, but every time she ate a twinkie she felt as if she were consuming a bomb of sorts.

"Yes, even Twinkies. Believe it or not, Twinkies do have an expiration date! I don't have Hostess products all the time, for your information. They're just a once in a while thing to regain some childhood back in me, like little treats."

"Didn't you have enough as a child?"

Ryuko shook her head slightly. "Nah. Boarding school never really served that kind of stuff, at least the schools my dad sent me to anyways. Once I got into high school, I think I cleared the entire section of Hostess products in the convenience store near the house. I ended up getting the worst stomach ache ever. I do not recommend it."

"Note taken," Satsuki said with a smile forming on her lips. "You went to boarding school?"

"Dad and I never really got along. We tend to clash most of the times and one day I guess he just got sick of our drama. So boarding school was my parent the rest of my childhood."

"Was that the reason you left home?" Satsuki watched as Ryuko's body stiffened at the question, knowing she'd struck a nerve. Though, this action only prodded curiosity to slip in.

"Not really," Ryuko said through gritted teeth as a slight sniffle escaped her. Satsuki took note of this and leaned closer to see if Ryuko was indeed crying. They hit a slightly sharp turn before she could even get a proper glance, though. "We're almost there."

Satsuki sighed as she began taking in the scenery before them. They were indeed nearing private property. "I'm not exactly ready to come back home either."

Ryuko turned her head slightly to look at Satsuki who was looking in the opposite direction as her. "I'm guessing it has something to do with your mom?"

She let out a scoff. It really was hilarious. "It has everything to do with her."

"Guess you're not the only one with Mommy problems."

"Your mother is...?" Satsuki never heard Ryuko speak of her mother before. Maybe she had but Satsuki had missed the detail.

"Dead. She died when I was around seven. I had lived with her since I could remember. I guess another thing that added to the drama between Dad and me was the day he found out she used to abuse me when she came home drunk."

Satsuki stared at the back of Ryuko's head in surprise. This was something she definitely did not expect to learn about Ryuko. She had also been abused as a child? No. The abuse Ryuko went through wasn't as Satsuki endured. The silence began gnawing away at Satsuki. She didn't know what else to say.

"Woah. Major mood killer," Ryuko said with a chuckle. "I wonder how my friend is doing in her relationship with He-Man."

"He-Man? Do you even know his name?"

"It was something. I can't really remember. They'd just started dating by the time I was moving to Honnoji. What about your friends?"

"I actually don't remember where they went after high school. Nonon and I went to the same college, but the other Elites drifted to other paths in their lives. It happens."

"Well, once we get situated inside I can help you check around the area to see if they're still around."

Satsuki was about to speak when she realized they were a few feet away from the garage door of the house. She let Ryuko step off the motorcycle first and helped her untie the knots that hell their bags on said vehicle. The environment felt different here. It was soothing, to say the least. One of the perks she liked about private property was the silence it had to offer. Silence on noisy days like before were rare to come by. Ryuko grabbed a hold of both bags and began leading Satsuki towards the front door.

She was about to make a comment about Ryuko not having keys when the young woman simply opened the door to the house. 'Well, never mind,' she thought to herself as she closed the door. The house was a bit warm inside, not that she was complaining or anything. It was colder in Honnoji, but living there for a few years boosts your tolerance level to how well you can actually handle the ass-biting cold.

Ryuko muttered silent curses under her breath as she managed to knock her feet with every object on the floor, mainly boxes that were apparently being moved to other sections of the house. The pair froze as a gruff voice echoed in the hallways. The voice neared them and stood at nearly Ryuko's height. He appeared to be old. A white lab coat was draped over his hunched shoulders that put an emphasis on the eyepatch on his face. A small rodent appeared to be resting on his shoulders, but Satsuki was beginning to wonder if the thing was even real or not.

"Ryuko," the man said as he took a deep breath, stroking his beard with bandaged fingers. "you finally decided to come back home."

Satsuki watched Ryuko's jaw clench slightly from the corner of her eye and new this was when the games began. She reached over and took Ryuko's hand in her own, taking Ryuko by surprise as she looked down at their joined hands. Ryuko nodded slightly, almost as if she read what Satsuki was saying through mere body language and eye contact.

"I wanted to come see you. _We_ wanted to come see you." Ryuko hoped that she could be convincing enough this week. 'It's just one week. You can do it, Ryuko.'

He arched a brow and tilted his head to further look at Satsuki. He hummed for a few minutes. "Are you two...?"

"Lovers?" Ryuko resisted the urge to turn red and run out of the house screaming as if she'd seen a roach inside her bowl of cereal. Why in heaven's sake did she choose that word? Of all the words she could have said, she just had to say that one. Very nice, Ryuko.

"I see. Well, I'm glad this managed to get you down here to see your old man in almost four years," he said with a slight chuckle. Looking towards Satsuki, he offered her his hand to shake. "My name is Isshin Matoi, but you can call me whatever is more simple for you to say, Dear."

Satsuki took his hand with a smile and nodded. "I'll keep that in thought, Mr. Matoi. My name is Satsuki, by the way."

Isshin's fury eyebrows rose in slight surprise. "You're in a relationship with your boss, Ryuko? Yup, you are my daughter all right."

Ryuko looked away from her father's gaze with a slightly pink face. "Dad, please don't go there."

Satsuki smiled at the two and could clearly see they were in fact father and daughter. "Ryuko talked about me to you?" Satsuki sneered in Ryuko's direction, eliciting a groan from the girl.

"I believe she called you Satan's Mistress at some point," Isshin said with a laugh as he walked over to pick up their luggage on the floor.

"That was during like the first year I was working for you," Ryuko said in defense as she tried to tone down Satsuki's death glare.

"I'll be sure to collect the debt later," Satsuki retorted as she removed her gaze from Ryuko's shit-eating face.

"Follow me, girls," Isshin said as he began leading them down the hall past a series of closed doors. Satsuki noticed the house itself was large. It was only a two-story but the first floor alone was very spacious. Most of the two-stories she had been in were quite cramped on the first floor due to the constant overuse of columns at every turn. This house was different, though. The pair came to a stop as Isshin stood in front of a door with giant letters apparently spray-painted in red that read: KEEP OUT OF MY ROOM. Satsuki guessed on a whim that this was Ryuko's room.

Opening the door, Isshin set the bags on the side of the door and went to open the blinds, lighting up the once dark room. The walls were red and black as posters of rock bands decorated them. The room seemed to have been recently cleaned because she could see no speck of dust in it.

"I liked keeping it clean if you ever came home, which you have now." Isshin stepped aside and let them enter as he walked behind them about to leave. "You girls stay in here. Since Ryuko's room is at the end of the house, you two have plenty of privacy for when you want to, you know, get your groove on," he said with the wiggle of his brows, causing Ryuko to turn red.

"Dad!" Ryuko shrieked as she practically started pushing him away from her room's door, causing Satsuki to let out a slight laugh. She too was enjoying teasing her assistant. She like Isshin already.

Ryuko, closing the door behind her, groaned loudly in embarrassment. She could just feel a joke about to come out of Satsuki's mouth and was really not in the mood for it.

"Don't even say a word, Kiryuin."

"Getting our groove on?" Satsuki asked with a grin and Ryuko resisted the urge to shave her eyebrows off then and there. Her smile quickly faded as she realized that Isshin was long gone.

"Screw you," Ryuko grumbled as she picked the bags up and set them on the bed.

* * *

><p><em>AN: The frustration in writing this chapter was so real. It was like an on and off thing going on. Don't worry. I didn't lose my way before my body went dry. Really bad pun right there. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter because I'm literally sweating buckets from sitting down in a herd of blankets for the past few hours as I tried to finish what I had started writing yesterday._


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